This makes me sick:
Bonds, reviled by many around baseball for his role in the sport’s ever-deepening steroids scandal, stood motionless for a few moments before slowly circling the bases as the crowd of more than 43,000 at AT&T Park cheered and fireworks exploded over McCovey Cove…
Washington Nationals pitcher Mike Bacsik gave up the record breaking* home run to Bonds in the 5th inning.
As I wrote here, if I were the pitcher facing Bonds needing only one more HR to break the record, I’d throw every single pitch at his knees (not at knee-height, but right at his knee cap). Or maybe into his ear hole.
But not Bacsik. This is a guy who would have retired and nobody would have ever remembered he ever even played the game. And he knew that. Which is why he threw Bonds a gopher pitch:
“You either have to be a really special player to be remembered in this game or part of a special moment,” Bacsik said. “I didn’t want to give up the home run but, I’m lucky to be part of a really special moment in sports history.”
Great. He defiled Hammer’n Hank’s hallowed record just so he could be remembered.
_______
OTHERS
- I disagree with almost every single word Taylor Marsh writes — especially when the topic is politics — but on Bonds we are in total agreement.
- Jimmie at the Sundries Shack: “Sometimes, cheaters do prosper”
Bacsik is a sell-out to the non-man who injected himself into a world record.
it’s not a world record. Sadaharu Oh hit 868 dingers over his 21 year career pre steroid era! now he’s my home run king.
Bonds won – whether he cheated or not, it’s done, over – let’s forget this jerk and move on!
The only silver lining is that Bonds won’t hold this record as long as Hammer’n Hank did.
I look forward to the day that Alex Rodriguez smashes Bond’s record*.
When they prove (when, not if) Barry did steroids, people will think his father and him were in this, and Bobby did steroids. I’m already ahead of time.